The study sheds new light on sport policy in the EU, as well as the problems faced by Member States.
The EC study was carried out in the context of the Council Recommendation on health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA), which invited the European Commission to provide targeted support for capacity building and training to the national Physical Activity Focal Points.
The Focal Points are a network set up by the EC and the World Health Organization to provide and validate information from EU Member States and integrate the data into WHO Europe’s information system for nutrition, obesity and physical activity.
Launched in 2014 and carried out by a team of research led by the Institut für Sportwissenschaft und Sport of the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, the study provides a series of key recommendations and conclusions of use to policy-makers and decision makers active in the field of HEPA.
Among the main findings, the study reveals that policies are frequently made at regional and local level, not at national level, and that problems exist with the current data gathering instruments available.
The study also carried out a specific situation analysis in several countries to collect feedback, lessons learned and suggestions about the implementation of the HEPA monitoring framework, and to provide the Commission with recommendations for improvement of different elements of the monitoring framework and of the support provided to the Member States.
To access the study, click here.
To read the executive summary, click here.
